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You don't always need to go several miles out of your way and empty your wallets to enjoy the supernatural/occult. If you are a pagan, you can appreciate the thriftiness of finding alternative "stuff".
1. Check at dollar stores.
2. Wal-marts or grocery stores are always great for alternative stuff. Check out the spices area for sea salt. The tea section is also very good for finding those specific incense needs. They also have an array of other stuff here that you can use. Flashlights and recording devices included.
3. Check out hardware stores. Sometimes you'd be surprised, but it doesn't always turn out the way you like.
4. Don't order occult plants online when you might be able to get them at a local greenhouse.
5. Craft stores are awesome. You can make so many alternatives much cheaper here. They also sometimes sell candy!
6. You can also find a lot of stuff in nature. Go hiking, it's good for you, and you never know what you can find.
7. Yard/garage sales and 2nd-hand shops are amazing. Always look here before buying something shiny and new. You might just find what you're looking for.
8. You don't always have to have new, digital equipment. Used, antiquated, but useable items are great because their prices won't let you down, and they're less specialized than digital equipment, so you might pick up more than you originally thought.
9. If you are unsure about the supernatural history of a place, check out records at a public library or county courthouse. Ask your neighbors and relatives, too.
10. Catholic book or supply stores might surprise you. Give them a try when you're out at the "witch shops".
11. Nature centers also carry a lot of stuff like gemstones for chakra therapy, and they're usually a lot cheaper than at pagan vendors.
12. Health food stores might be a bit steep in price, but you can usually depend on them to have the stuff you're looking for regarding incense, essential oils, etc. The food's also great, break your inhibitions and try some organic or vegan-friendly food.

That's a great suggestion. Thanks for your input.
I practiced this type of thinking today. I went to Goodwill and bought this really neat chalice for a dollar and this so-so tv dinner table for an altar (since I'll be putting cloth over it anyway, I don't think it's looks matter. That cost me 2 dollars... so I'm pretty happy with that.

as for a ouija board, use a large sheet of paper XD and a pengelum so the ghost can move it towards the letters.

also to get good recordings you do not need some expensive recorders... also make sure you get digital ones atleast, so that you do not get the machines recording sounds in it(stops you from mixing it up with EVP)

Sawdust on a threshold also works like brick-dust. If you do some work on your porch, leave the sawdust lying around.
A way to get ghosts to stop haunting your house is to take some dirt from YOUR yard and put it into a graveyard. It might not work. Don't try the other way around, though.

yeah, that works. I'm starting to get a little crafty with stuff, stocking up on craft supplies. So I'll be making my own altar cloths and such.

instead of buying an overpriced couldren i just use a large can thing that used to have nuts in it. alot smaller but it does the trick.

and in some cases *dont know if its cheaper but its easier to get for me*
instead of looking for places that sell essential oils try incense oils. they work great in spells. *cringe* tried it on a love spell for the heck of it. worked too well *cringe*

This week, I found a little brass box at a second hand shop for 6.5 bucks. It is elliptical, and it has a scarab fashioned into the lid. It's really neat. I saw several pieces there that could be used in ritual.

You could use a brass object that has any kind of basin for smoldering incense like dried white sage leaves. Make sure to place metal objects on a ceramic plate or bowl. Metal will clean up better than ceramic, as carbon tends to stain ceramic pieces more so than metal; however, metal does obviously conduct heat, so you need something to keep your altar space from scorching, like a small brass cymbal-shaped object placed in a ceramic soup bowl, perhaps even containing some water to disperse the heat even better.

You can also use oil lamps instead of candles. If you have a wall sconce, especially a small sconce that holds oil instead of a votive, you can especially replace these will simple votives because a light mounted on a wall has less chance of falling over because of a miss-timed, clumsy hand gesture.

Old jewelry boxes are great items to hold crystals, etc. If you have a plain wooden box, you can use upholstering techniques to line it with velvet, satin, or brocade. While you're doing this, you can insert a mirror, or replace a mirror with a black scrying mirror. If you get good at this, you can even make money by selling it at a local occult supply store.

When people come in to the store, looking for incense holders, but either can't find what they're looking for, or want something a little cheaper, I tell them to take a dixie cup and fill it with some salt and stick the incense in it. Works like a charm.

twisted